by 
by Roving Reporter Jenny-‘RipTorn’-Pierson
Some say watching the flotilla of balloons over the waters of Lake Burley Griffin is spiritual, the reflections dancing happily across sunrise ripples and the serenity and beauty a delight to behold. Not so graceful or serene was the sight of the flatulent Mako rabble rousing themselves from their stupor of German pork knuckle and Heferweizen to begin their assault on the racecourse for the day. For this day was race day, and there is much to tell.
Breakdancing Warm-ups
In classic Canberra form, Mako warmed up by spinning in a roundabout. Captain Ang, not to be outdone by Ryan’s fancy games, upped the ante and threw down the worm. If only AB had come to warm up, he could have thrown down his dance moves, however he was busy assisting in the lab.
Hobos and Homeless
A fanatically-eyed Hobo was seen emerging from a makeshift camp at 7am, shirt on backwards and beard unkempt, as he had come off night shift at 3am and driven straight to Canberra. The crew frantically tried to get him race ready, and I think the breakfast smoothie of red bull, caffeine, sudafed and lemon drops was the magic touch, because the Hobo rallied to stroke the 2km to bronze (or was it a dream?)
….. and like the best Asian village, Bag Man was content to create a makeshift bed for the night out of shopping bags and lost property.
2000m racing
With a squad of only 22, and no reserves, Mako 2km racing was always going to be a massive job. First of the rank, the Mako Opens team did a dazzling job on the first 2K of the day with many firsts to celebrate. Nic not only survived her first 2K but shined at the finish line, and Kerry surprised us all by confessing it was her first 2K. Mako raced hard with an impressive 3rd place finish. A great mystery will always be who did have right away on that corner… Just like Wonderwoman, the team got to shore, swapped seats and turned into the Mako mixed team. Annie smashed her first time sweeping a 2K race with beautiful tight corners, and sheer love for her Mako team. Mako raced with pure heart landing another strong finish.
Fluro is the new Black
Rubbing their sleepy sauerkraut eyes, Mako could have sworn they saw a giant yellow Banana striding confidently around the tent. Was it Big Bird? A jaundiced seagull? To the delight of the crew ,and the roar of the crowds lining the shore, this mystical beast revealed herself to be Brenda, our newly-minted Level 2 sweep, ready to take on the famous dog-leg racecourse. And what an incredible job she did.
She masterfully swept race after race with Mako mixing up the config each race for a fresh take. Both the Open and Mixed teams fought hard, with the Mixed team making the Grand Final amongst Canberra, Sydney and South Coast teams.
Grand Final was Ass-Stounding
When it came time for the Grand Final, all Captain Ang asked of us was “how about we rip ourselves a new arsehole” . And the Mako women delivered with not one, not two, but three blowouts from the extreme effort of the day.
A huge thank you to our Captains for leading us through the day, Ang tirelessly organising and reorganising configs & Glasso focusing the team on the start line. Annie and Babs were the dynamic drumming sweeping duo for the fast races with guidance and encouragement through the races. And of course to Chicki who was with us in spirit, turns out that training, trust and technique really does pay off.
